Effects of an e-Media-Supported, Exercise-Based Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and objective Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery patients undergo cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs postoperatively to improve their course of recovery. The effectiveness of traditional CR programs is hampered by time constraints, financial burdens, transportation issues, and geographic restrictions. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and technological advances have led to the emergence of home-based CR programs using e-media, thereby improving accessibility. This study aimed to analyze the effects of e-media-supported, exercise-based phase II CR in post-CABG patients. Methods A single assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted at a tertiary care hospital to analyze the effectiveness of a validated e-media-supported, exercise-based phase II cardiac rehabilitation in CABG Patients. A total of 40 subjects were included in the study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The subjects were then randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group received e-media-supported exercise and the control group received routine care. The duration of the intervention was three months. The outcome measures used were functional capacity, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), quality of life, and physical activity (PA). Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS Statistics v. 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results After three months of intervention, the mean distance covered during the six-minute walk test (6MWT) showed a significant increase in both the control and experimental groups. The experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement compared to the control group (p<0.001). Furthermore, the experimental group showed significant improvements in the rate of perceived exertion (RPE), LVEF, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) scores compared to the control group (all p<0.001). Conclusions Based on our findings, the e-media-supported, exercise-based phase II cardiac rehabilitation is feasible and safe, and significantly improved functional capacity and enhanced quality of life. The PA level of the experimental group was higher than controls at the 12-week follow-up after CABG.